Islamic Relief has secured more than $500,000 from UNHCR to fund its work with displaced people in northern Yemen.

Conflict in northern Yemen between the government and rebels has displaced more than 250,000, with many ending up in makeshift settlements or overcrowded camps. The new funding will be used to fund Islamic Relief’s work in Al Mazrak 1 and Al Mazrak 3 camps in Hajjah governorate.

Islamic Relief has been coordinating Al Mazrak 1 since October 2009 in partnership with UNHCR. The camp has swelled as people have continued to flee from the conflict in and around Sa’ada and now houses over 19,000 people, with more arriving every day.

Overcrowding

The camp provides people who have fled their homes with shelter, food, healthcare, clean water and education. Around one-third of the children in the camp are malnourished and so a nutrition centre has been set up to provide them with nutritional support.

Al Mazrak 1 camp was originally constructed to accommodate 10,000 people and has been re-designed several times to hold the additional people. However, many families are still living outside the camp waiting for urgent assistance.

New camp

To help relieve the pressure on Al Mazrak 1, Islamic Relief recently completed the construction of the new Al Mazrak 3 camp. This camp will house a further 1,000 families, many of whom been camping outside of Al Mazrak 1 with nowhere to go and in desperate need of assistance.

Protecting vulnerable people

In addition to supporting Islamic Relief’s work in Al Mazrak 1 and 3, the funding from UNHCR will also be used to support protection work in Hajjah and Amran governorates. The majority of those who have been displaced by the fighting are women and children. Islamic Relief is providing vulnerable people inside and outside the camps with psychosocial support and legal counselling, as well as setting up community and women’s centres in the camps to help them cope with the effects of the conflict.

Despite the volatile security situation, Islamic Relief has been working to provide displaced people and people trapped in Sa’ada with aid since the latest round of fighting began in August 2009. As well as our work in Al Mazrak 1 and 3, Islamic Relief is the World Food Programme’s main implementing partner, and has so far provided more than 790,000 people in Sa’ada, Hajjah, Amran and Sanaa with emergency food aid.

For more information about Islamic Relief’s work with displaced people in Yemen please contact Helen Mould on: 0044 121 622 0719 or 0044 7855 499 645, helen.mould@irworldwide.org